hey! i bought this cosplay: http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/3614/img1272le.jpg (im that person) but i dont really like it so much... and i would love to improve it by replacing plastic with metal (i dont think iron could be a great idea)
well, i want to improve it, i want to join some cosplay contest here, but with that costume i won't go so far
could anyone help me, please?

Actually dabiddabird, I've gotten the files and am starting work on mine. I do have a few specific questions for you since you've started.
1: Is using High Temp hot glue necessary? Or can you use the normal sticks and gun?
2: How do you best determine the angles you need to cut for the edges of the foam? By eye or what?
3: Is making the chest brace necessary? I'm seeing a number of builds but I'm not finding the bracing system, is it hidden or can I skip that part?

Actually dabiddabird, I've gotten the files and am starting work on mine. I do have a few specific questions for you since you've started.
1: Is using High Temp hot glue necessary? Or can you use the normal sticks and gun?
2: How do you best determine the angles you need to cut for the edges of the foam? By eye or what?
3: Is making the chest brace necessary? I'm seeing a number of builds but I'm not finding the bracing system, is it hidden or can I skip that part?

Thanks, and I hope this can answer a few questions for Dany as well.

Sorry this is way late. I havent been on for such a long time.
1. The high temp seems to bond better you can try the low temp ones but not sure how well that would hold up during wear.
2. You are right its all about visual reference. Try to find as many high quality shots of the suit and do your best to mimic the angles.
3. Some people make the brace others dont. Its not really necessary. You can just fill in the collar area with pieces of foam. The brace is mostly used by people who make the suit out of fiberglass.

Its ok! Learning alot through the hard way, though. My costume is starting to near completion, but I'm having a much harder time on the shins than I would have expected. (Seriously, the thighs themselves were 12 pages of pure madness.)

Things of note:
Low temp hot glue seems to work ok, havent noticed any issues with it. I think the only problem with it is the gun itself, all low temp guns I've seen are fine for quick uses. If you're building this suit, invest in a 20 dollar comfortable hot temp gun, It'll save your hands from agony.

For mats, I have found KMart and no other place to have them consistantly in stock. They are always by the automotive section. Also the cheapest at 7 bucks for a 6 sheet pack.

For sealing, I can't ever seem to get my glue the right consistancy, so I've been using just pure glue on it.

I use a foam mat called best step anti fatigue mat. It works well. You can get it at sears, pepboys, and sometimes Wal-Mart.

Why rubber mat? I've seen various other methods of armor making - craft foam w/ papier mache, craft foam w/ styrene, wonderflex, cardboard - but haven't heard of using antifatigue mats. Is it cheaper/more durable/both? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

hey
I would post an tread with my ironman but every time when i post it, ther is a message, that my post is invisible. is that normal?
my ironman is with paper and hot glu^^ it will be finished in one or two month

Why rubber mat? I've seen various other methods of armor making - craft foam w/ papier mache, craft foam w/ styrene, wonderflex, cardboard - but haven't heard of using antifatigue mats. Is it cheaper/more durable/both? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Craft foam and anti-fatigue mats are actually the same type of foam, EVA foam specifically. Antifatique mats are unique in the fact that they are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, so you dont need to add anything else to it, besides a sealant and paint.

The advantage is that its cheap, flexible, light (seriously my costume weighs about 5 pounds totall,) and very easy to work with peices with little learning time.
The disadvantage is that the paint will eventually wear from the costume causing repair time, (really this is true for any costume of armor.)

Adding styrene, wonderflex etc, is another step added to the whole project, wonderflex would require bondo and sanding to get smooth and at this point why not just resin and fiberglass your costume?

Can you resin and fibreglass foam? I was afraid to buy resin in case it ended up corroding the foam. Then I'd be left with useless materials.

I went with craft foam cause it was easier for me to find, and reinforcing with muslin and Mod Podge. Seems to be working really well! Just a bit time consuming.

Epoxy resin should be safe of foam, however fiberglass resin (polyester resin) will eat the foam up. The anti fatigue mats are basically the same as craft foam just a lot thicker which is very helpful.

Epoxy resin should be safe of foam, however fiberglass resin (polyester resin) will eat the foam up. The anti fatigue mats are basically the same as craft foam just a lot thicker which is very helpful.

Bah, yes, I'm discovering this now. I used the 1/8" craft foam and having a lot of trouble with the gloves. It was quite ideal for the shoulder bells, forearms, and chestplate, though. The palms of the gloves are just extremely tiny and fiddly. But maybe because I'm small and have small hands. I found a good simple foam glove pattern, and I'm just going to forego the fingers. It seems like too much for my first build. I'm going to just wear a pair of red opera style gloves up to the elbows inside the glove pieces.

Next time, I think I'll try the EVA foam mats.

Random question - any of you guys tried silicone to seal the exterior, instead of glue or plastidip?